A sweet response to Jam Fest

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Published on Thursday, July 28, 2016

Photos by Diane Ruzycki. The jam tasting competition was just one of the many popular attractions that ensured the second edition of ArtsForward’s Jam Fest was extremely well received. 

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

In a very short amount of time, ArtsForward’s Jam Fest has become one of Neepawa’s most  anticipated summer celebrations.  The event, which was held on Saturday, July 23 at the former Viscount Cultural Centre, featured live music, an outdoor art show and farmer’s market. Another major part of Jam Fest was the jam tasting competition, which featured 16 different varieties and was won by Christine Waddell. ArtsForward director of programming Rrain Prior said that she’s very pleased with just how well this year’s festivities were received.

“It was definitely bigger and better than last year. We were really happy that the weather cooperated on Saturday, so that we were able to use our outdoor space. We had people who showed up right at 1:00 pm and stayed for the entirety of the day for the music, which was wonderful. We also had lots of kids come through. We had about a dozen vendors with various products. That’s much more than last year, because we opened it up to various products. People were really happy to see the variety,” said Prior.

This was the second year for Jam Fest. In 2015, the inaugural event was planned in a very short amount of time, as the decision to move ahead with the day wasn’t made until the end of May. Prior said that with the extra time to prepare for this year, organizers were able to come up with something that had much more variety.

“We received some wonderful feedback from people on the day. People liked the way it was all structured. They liked the fact that it was family oriented and actually had something for every member of the family. In the summer, you’re always looking for something for your kids to do. We had arts and crafts, as well as music,” Prior noted. “Really, just universally positive comments on the day.”

As for the future of ArtsForward’s Jam Fest, Prior is optimistic they’ll be able to continue expanding on the original concept and ensure it becomes the type of summer celebration the community can be proud of.

“We’re certainly looking forward to doing this again next year. We’ll figure out what worked and what didn’t and make adjustments to ensure that Jam Fest is something that can continue growing,” stressed Prior. “We’ve had people specifically ask us ‘Please, do this again’, so we’re definitely going forward with it.”

ArtsForward’s director of programming Rrain Prior led some of the children’s activities at this year’s Jam Fest.